A business plan delivered to Denver officials Thursday by the National Western Stock Show & Rodeo lays out five options for the future of the historic downtown facility.

The proposals range from making improvements to the existing stock show facility on Brighton Boulevard to relocating it to Commerce City or to a site near a proposed Western-themed hotel and conference center near Denver International Airport.

Costs to implement the plans that involve relocation or existing site improvements are estimated at between $300 million and $550 million, according to the plan, which was done by the stock show.

The business plan was requested by Denver Mayor Michael Hancock after the city nixed a proposal by the stock show to relocate adjacent to the proposed Gaylord Entertainment Co. hotel and conference center.

Read the Plan

Although the plan outlines five scenarios, National Western will continue to evaluate all options that are presented, said Paul Andrews, the stock show's president and chief executive.

"We've probably reviewed 30 sites," Andrews said. "There are now five in the document, but that doesn't mean there aren't more. We're very open to more sites being explored."

The five options included in the report are:

• Having the stock show stay put and do nothing, which according to the report would force National Western into bankruptcy within seven years.

• Expanding the existing facilities north and west of the current location at an estimated cost of $500 million.

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• Relocating to a site immediately north of Dick's Sporting Goods Park on land owned by Commerce City at a cost of about $400 million.

• Moving to a location in the High Point development near Denver International Airport and adjacent to a 1,500-room hotel and conference center proposed by Gaylord Entertainment Co. at a cost of about $350 million. The site straddles the border of Denver and Adams counties, with the Adams County portion owned by the city of Denver.

• Moving to another site in the High Point development that is not adjacent to Gaylord but is still in Denver, at a cost of about $400 million.

$102 million impact

The report says that National Western would bring about $80 million to the table through a $50 million fundraising campaign and $30 million in bonds issued against its projected operations. The rest of the funding could come from any combination of the stadium district tax, general obligation bonds, tax-increment financing and public-improvement financing.

The stock show has a $102 million annual economic impact on the region. That is expected to grow to as much as $136 million annually if it expands.

The stock show has said its facilities are aging and substandard, and cost too much to maintain, and that it is not practical to expand in its current location. It wanted to locate next to the proposed Gaylord hotel and conference center in Aurora.

However, the plan was harshly criticized, with many citing a negative economic impact on downtown hotels and businesses, as well as losing an institution that has been in central Denver for 105 years.

The cities of Aurora and Denver had jointly applied for state sales-tax subsidies under the Regional Tourism Act, which allows for a portion of state sales taxes generated by a project that advances local tourism to be used to help finance infrastructure for it.

But last month, Denver withdrew from the application for the $6.1 million in subsidies it was seeking. Aurora still is asking for $85.4 million for the Gaylord project.

Denver can apply for the subsidies on behalf of the stock show at a later date, after it has determined what course to take.

Hancock in August requested that National Western officials prepare a report outlining options for the stock show. He asked them to include financial information, as well as possible locations.

"I have it now, and we finally have a chance to put some eyes around what they're thinking and to help the stock show be the very best it can be," he said. "We will try to get back to them as quickly as possible."

29 years left on lease

The National Western Stock Show is under lease with the city and county of Denver for 29 more years at its current site. Denver's City Council would have to agree to rescind the lease if the stock show relocates.

Hancock has charged the Denver Urban Renewal Authority with reviewing the plan and recommending how to proceed. DURA's staff will be meeting with Paul Ryan, the city's director of regional affairs, early next month.

"There's work to be done in reading through the plan and probably more work (for the stock show) in that there will be questions that arise from the initial read of the business plan," said Tracy Huggins, DURA's executive director. "Hopefully, we will get a clearer understanding of the project and the alteratives in the coming weeks."

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